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Colleges Are Tested by Push to Prove Graduates' Career Success

Schools Cite Hurdles in Measuring How Ex-Students Do in the Job Market

Colleges, under increased pressure to justify the cost of education, are having a hard time getting proof of graduates' success in finding well-paying jobs. Melissa Korn reports on Lunch Break. Photo: Erica Gannett for The Wall Street Journal.

College admissions officers trumpet graduates' success in finding well-paying jobs. But the schools often have a hard time getting solid proof.

Boiling down employment outcomes to a single metric isn't easy, many college officials say, since hurdles stand in the way of gathering meaningful figures and conveying them. Others say they are leery of tying the nuances of educational success to dollar figures.